Fairfield Prep cross country coach Bob Ford Jr. could get used to this.

For the second year in a row and the fourth in his career, Ford will be heading to San Diego in two weeks for the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships on Dec. 9.

This year Ford will be going with Jesuit junior Christian Alvarado, who finished eighth in the seeded division with a time of 15:49.1 at Saturday's Foot Locker Northeast Regional race at Van Cortlandt Park in New York.

While there are four other divisions who competed Saturday -- freshman, sophomore, junior and senior -- only the top eight in the seeded race qualify for the national meet. The top eight in each division also earn all-Northeast Regional honors.

"I've been fortunate," Ford said. "Some coaches coach for a long time and never get to go."

Alvarado, who won the Northeast Regional title in the sophomore division a year ago, was the top runner from Connecticut in the race.

"You have to be a special talent to qualify for the national race," said Ford, who had Connor Rog last season and Brian McGovern in 1999 and 2000 qualify. "And Christian has been doing wonderfully in the postseason."

Alvarado won the SCC championship in a time of 16:14.92 to help lead the Jesuits to second place before finishing fourth at the State Open (16:25) and ninth at the New England meet in Maine (16:37.53). He did not compete in the Class LL championship because of injury.

Other Fairfield Prep runners also fared well in the other divisions.

They were senior Scott Ball, who was 15th with a time of 18:12 to earn second-team honors; juniors James Mullikan (21st, 18:04) and Matt Scholl (23rd, 18:08), who earned third-team honors; sophomore Andy Thane, who earned first-team honors after finishing eighth in his division with a time of 17:46; and freshmen George Crist (17th, 18:43) and Jack O'Connor (18th, 18:45), who both earned third-team honors.